President Tsai cancels engagements after testing positive for COVID-19

Taipei, July 25 (CNA) President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has canceled all her public engagements after testing positive for COVID-19, Presidential Office spokesperson Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) said on Tuesday afternoon.

Tsai began feeling "slightly unwell" on Tuesday noon and her rapid test for COVID-19 later came back positive, Lin said, adding that the president had subsequently canceled the rest of her public engagements on Tuesday.

At the moment, Tsai is showing "mild" symptoms of the disease but is in the good care of her medical team, Lin said.

The president is following the medical team's advice to rest but will be updated about current national affairs through members of her administration, the spokesperson added.

Tsai, 66, has received three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Taiwanese company, Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp.

As of press time, it remains unclear whether Tsai has been in close contact with Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) over the past few days.

On Tuesday morning, Tsai paid a visit to the military-run Tri-Service General Hospital in Taipei to see officers who were injured in an explosion that occurred at around 3 p.m. on Monday at the Hsiang Feng military base in Keelung while servicemen were examining 120 millimeter mortar rounds.

The cause of the incident is under investigation, according to the Ministry of National Defense.

The Presidential Office said that Tsai had planned to visit Tainan on Tuesday afternoon for an inspection of the Wanan air raid drill and the Min An disaster prevention exercise in the city.

The president was also scheduled to return to Taipei in the evening and visit the headquarters of the Central Weather Bureau to check on the preparations for the approaching Typhoon Doksuri, the office added.

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